Safety point bar for flat knitting machines



April 14,1936.

F. TAIT, JR

SAFETY POINT BAR FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 22, 1956 2Sheets-Sheet l @NYQWQQ X h m Z i an Y/ IVENTOR ATTORNEY TAlT, JR

SAFETY POINT BAR FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Filed Jan. 22, 1936 2Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY' Patented Apr. 14, 1936 omreo STATES PATENTOFFICE SAFETY POINT BAR FOR FLAT KNITTING MACHINES Francis Tait, J r.,Philadelphia, Pa assignor to Howard Hosiery Comp any, Sinking Spring,Pa.,

3 {claims My invention relatesto a newand useful safety point bar for-flat knitting machines, whereby all damage to the stocking, in theprocess of manufacture, is substantially entirely eiiminated.

My invention relates to the device described, which is easily andinexpensively gproduced and which can be used in conventional flatknitting machines without any interference with, oralteration to, any ofitsparts. in Point bars heretofore used on fiat knitting machines,whether the same be welter point bars, which are used in knitting theleg, whether they be transfer point bars, which are used fortransferring the leg of the stocking from the legger to the top-per, orwhether they be top-per point bars, which are used in knitting the footof the stocking, have heretofore been made of substantially, elongatedbars between which the "welter or topper points (or-needles) are held,said bars being secured together by means of ;a plurality of screwswhich are substantially flush with the surfaces of the bars. Suchconventional bars are satisfactory when new, but as soon as one or morepoints break so that-it becomes necessary to unscrew the parts for thepurpose of replacing the points, -and.i n view of the necessity offirmly clampingtheparts together, the screw heads become-mutilated bythescrewdriver thus developing burrs, which catch the stockings beingknitted, thus damagingthe stockings :and causing great loss.

Prior to the present invention the cause of excessive numbers of damagedstockings has been more or less a mystery in the various manufacturingplants, as witnessed by the fact that the operators of the knittingmachines have been ordered to remove their rings, if any, during theknitting of the stockings, on the theory that the jewelry referred towas the cause of the excessive numbers of pulled threads from the tornand otherwise damaged stockings.

As a result of this first hand experience in the plant with which I havebeen connected for many years I discovered that the cause of the damagedstockings rested almost exclusively in the mutilated screw-heads of thepoint bars, and I have accordingly devised a novel construction of apoint bar which completely and effectively cures this defect.

The construction and advantage of my novel safety point bar will be morefully explained in the annexed specification and the accompanyingdrawings, in which,

Fig. 1 represents a plan view of a point bar embodying my invention,certain parts being broken away-to show the internal construction.

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of Fig. 1, certain parts being shownin section.

Figs. 3 and 4 representsections on lines 3 and. 5 .0, respectively, ofFig. 1.

Fig. 5 represents a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a slightly modifiedconstruction.

Fig, 6 represents a view similar to Fig. 1 showing further modificationofmy invention 10 Fig. -'7 represents a side view of Fig. 6, certainparts being shown in section.

Fig. Brepresents a section on line 8-8 of Fig. 7.

Figs. 9 and 10 represent sectional views similar to Fig. 8 showingfurther modification of the 15 invention.

Referring to the drawings in whichlike reference charactersdesignatelike parts, my novel point bar consists of the bottom or basebar I to which is clamped a top bar 2 by means of 0 thetscrews 3, thepoints 4 being clamped between the bars I and,2, with or without theinterposing of the felt or strip washer 5, the points 4 being deflectedat their inner ends, as at 6, toengage holes or seats 1 in the base barI. In a conven- 5 tional construction the heads of the screws '3 wouldbe flush with the surface f the topbar 2, and, when the heads of the.screws 3 .aremutilated by ,a screwdriver, a catch onthe stocking wouldbe .made, causing threads to pull and. 30 otherwise damage I thestocking. In order to overcome this difiiculty I have formed a recess inthe upper surface of the top bar 2 in which recess I positioned thecover plate I!) which completely covers the heads of the screws 3, which35 secure the bars I and 2 and the points 4 together. The cover plate,or bar I, is secured to the top bar 2 by means of the screws I2, whichbeing offset with relation to the bottom surface I3 of the base bar I,and being positioned at either 40 end of the point bar, are not in aposition to cause any damage, the ends of the shanks of the screws I2being polished flush with the upper surface 8 of the top bar 2, as atI4. The cover plate I0 is further secured to the upper bar 2 by 45 meansof the screw I5 which is counter-sunk, as at l6, and the end of theshank of which is also smoothly polished to be flush with the uppersurface 8 of the bar 2, as at IT. The ends of the shanks of the screws 3are also polished smooth 50 with the under surface I8 of the base bar I,as at I9. In this construction, when it is necessary to replace any ofthe points 4, the screws I2 and I5 are removed, which permits theremoval of the cover plate I0 to render the screws 3 accessi- 55 ble.This permits manipulation of the screws 3 for the purpose of replacementof the parts of the points and, when the device has been reassembledwith the heads of the screws 3 probably damaged or roughened, the coverplate I0 is replaced and the point bar again presents a smooth surfacewhich does not in any way damage the stockings.

In the construction shown, in Fig. l the cover plate In is shown ashaving a dove-tail connection with the upper bar 2, as at 20, thisdove-tail connection being at right angles with respect to thelongitudinal axis of the bar. In- Fig. 5 I have shown the identicalconstruction except that the dove-tail connection between the coverplate I0 and the upper bar 2 forms an acute angle, as at 2 I, so thatthe upper plate II] to be positioned in place must be inserted from therear edge of the upper bar 2 in a direction facing, or towards, thepoints 4. In Figs. 6, '7 and 8 I have shown a modified form ofconstruction in which the cover plate Ill is adapted to slide over theupper bar or plate 2 from either end thereof, the upper plate 2 beingprovided with a longitudinally beveled recess while the cover plate Inis provided with longitudinally beveled edges to produce a dovetailconnection along the entire length of the bar, as best seen at 22.

In Fig. 9 I have shown a modified form of construction in which, in lieuof a longitudinal, dovetail connection, I utilize the longitudinallyrabbeted connection best shown at 23.

In Fig. 10 I have shown a further modified construction in which, likeFigs. 8 and 9, the cover plates l0 slides longitudinally over either endof the bar 2, but in which the upper plate Ill is provided with theinwardly deflected flanges 25 which engage oppositely beveled,longitudinal edges or recesses 24 of the upper bar 2.

In the construction shown in Figs. 6 to 10 inclusive, due to the factthat the cover plate l0 firmly engages the upper bar 2 along its entirelength, it becomes unnecessary toutilize a plurality of screws forholding the cover plate ID to the assembly, as shown in Figs. 1 to 5,and a single screw 26 at either end of the bar will be sufiicient tohold the cover plate It) in position.

It will thus be seen that by my novel construction I have produced apoint bar which can be utilized wherever needed in flat knittingmachines to eliminate the necessity of changing the screws 3 every timethat they are removed for the purpose of replacement or repair of thepoints 4, and that my novel construction presents a smoother outersurface than is presented even by a new conventional point bar, therebyeliminating the heretofore costly excessive damage attending the.knitting of the stocking.

It will also be seen that the covering of the screws 3 by the additionof the cover plate ID, in any of the manners set forth, does notinterfere with, or in any way alter, the ultimate, finished appearanceor dimensions of the conventional point bar so as in any way to detractfrom its efficiency or capacity to be used with existing knittingmachines.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent is;

1. A safety point bar for flat knitting machines comprising twolongitudinal elements adapted to clamp the points there-between,fastening devices passing through said elements and having their headsembedded in one of said elements and a cover plate seated in a cut-outformed in said last mentioned element to cover the heads of saidfastening devices, said cover plate being secured to said. twolongitudinal elements by means of counter-sunk fastening devicescompletely inaccessible to the stocking fabric on said bar.

2. The combination with a point bar for flat knitting machinescomprising two longitudinal elements adapted to clamp the pointsthere-between and screws passing through and fastening said longitudinalelements together, of a cover plate presenting an externally smoothsurface and seated in a cut-out formed in the one of the two elements inwhich the heads of said screws are embedded to prevent the stockingfabric on said bar'from catching on the heads of said screws.

3. A safety point bar for flat knitting machines comprising twolongitudinal elements adapted to clamp the points there-between,fastening devices passing through said elements and having their headsembedded in one of said elements, and a cover plate seated in a cut-outformed in said last mentioned element to cover the heads of saidfastening devices, there being a tongue and groove engagement betweensaid cover plate and said cut-out.

FRANCIS TAIT, JR.

